Getting around town

America – the land of the great road trip. From the moment I arrived it became abundantly clear that there was no other option for getting around town but to get a car. However, due to not having a car, that proved to be quite difficult… Here is the story of my 14 week endeavour to get hold of one.

My first apartment was on campus. I arrived at the start of Spring so weather was variable but not horrific, perfectly reasonable for the 15 min walk from the apartment to my office building (most days). However, the idea that I walked to work (and god forbid, home again for lunch) was met with abject horror by my admin person. ‘But you can’t’ she wailed. There is a bus (yes one that went to the other side of campus before going anywhere near the vet building). Still, she insisted on trying to get me a temporary staff card so I could ride the bus (my staff card took 6 weeks to materialize – without it I couldn’t get into the building, ride the bus or use any facilities – but that is another story). She was devastated when she couldn’t arrange it and asked me daily if I was coping ok with the walk!!

 

Imagine her absolute devastation when I moved off campus and the bus dropped me even further away - a 20 min walk to the office. ‘But you could change to another cross campus bus’ (yes after waiting up to half an hour – the maths just didn’t add up) she bemoaned. I needed to get a car just to reduce her blood pressure. I also needed to get a car so I could do stuff before 8am and after 6pm. People tell me I should be grateful there is even a bus. And, I suppose, in a way I am. But seriously, what kind of bus system stops running at 6pm and doesn’t even go at all on the weekends? The need for alternative transport was pressing…

However, on the up-side I did see a side of Stillwater on the bus I would never have otherwise experienced. The fellow who was already on the first bus each morning with his pants around his knees. The Mon-Wed-Fri driver who yelled at everyone and once told me off for asking him to stop when he drove right past my stop (yes I had pushed the bell). The Tues-Thus driver who was sweet but deaf – “HOW YOU DOIN TODAY LADY?” The nurse who couldn’t get out of the two seats she needed to occupy – mostly because she wouldn’t let go of the supersize chip packet.

 

So back to my problem with getting a car – the dealerships were all out on the highway into town so I needed to get the bus there. Only problem being when I was free to go, there was no bus. Frustrating. I was saved from this annoying dilemma by a very sweet fellow equine researcher who gave up her Saturday morning to tote me around to the dealerships. Our experience was awful but had the bonus of making us great friends. Dealer one – busily shifting from one foot to the other, drooping lip, trying to sell me an SUV (shortly after being told I wanted a small efficient sedan/coupe). Dealer two – well, I just wanted to have a shower afterwards. Dealer three – refreshingly honest, ‘no we have nothing for you’. Dealer four – ‘what you lookin for don’t exist luvey, now you just need to buy that good ol wagon over there (I kid you not the thing was from the 1800s). Dealer five – fuel efficient? Cheap? Well I’ve the perfect thing (it had done 348,000 miles). We gave up.

Enter Huffy. My sweet, trusty cruiser bike. Some birthday money and a long Saturday morning walk to Walmart bought the two of us together and me a new lease of life. She is a bit like riding a couch and has introduced me to a new way of cycling – slowly (which merges into inertia with a decent headwind) and meanderingly. Lovely. Until I met with a small tractor and shortly after, the pavement. She now has a bent pedal shaft, a split tyre and a distinct screaming noise with each tyre rotation. Sigh.

Princess Huffy

Fortuitously, shortly after Huffy’s demise I was lucky enough to come across the perfect opportunity to get a car I could afford. Again, the kindness of strangers. A local owner, one family (admittedly over 20 years including 2 sons) and a situation of one too many cars… So, $1500 later I am zooming around town (occasionally on the wrong side of the road – but only momentarily) and promising myself I will take Huffy to the infirmary.

Do I miss the bus? Yes and no, but mostly no…

A dwarf amongst the utes...

Tinted windows - very 90s like the car